Chapter 3

At the end of the month, news arrived that the knight's order to which Firman belonged had returned to the royal castle.

Sara, as Princess Elmine, received the report from the head of the knights. However, she could not bring herself to ask, "Is Firman doing well?" So, while listening to the head of the knights, who believed she was Elmine, her heart was filled with frustration.

She had already sent a letter to Elmine. Although she had not specifically asked for a reply, the attendant who facilitated the exchange said, "She looked very pleased," so there should be no problem.

While she was doing this, information about Sara's future husband arrived.

"This is Prince Richard..."

The thin wooden box brought by the maid contained a letter from King Ferrie, a document with information about Prince Richard, and a portrait.

The canvas, about the size of a large picture book, depicted a frontal view of a young man. Although the coloring was not done, so the colors were unknown, his hair, which reached his shoulders, had a slight wave, and his eyes were half-closed. He would be quite a handsome young man when he smiled, but his lips were tightly curved, as if expressing displeasure.

(He seems like an intellectual noble, but do people usually have such an unhappy face in a portrait...?)

Twisting her neck, she had the maid set up the portrait and began to read the document.

(The prince is twenty-four this year. He is the son of a concubine of the previous king, but after the concubine's death, he was adopted by the queen...)

She remembered her tutor saying, "The first prince of Ferrie Kingdom, born to the queen, died over twenty years ago." Since the queen could not bear a child for a long time, the king took a concubine, and the prince she bore was Prince Richard.

Eight years later, the queen finally gave birth to the second child, the current king, and the prince, who had lost his mother in an accident, was also welcomed as the king's son.

(What a magnanimous queen—now the empress dowager...)

As she read on, her face gradually became stern.

It was said that Prince Richard was extremely averse to others and spent most of his time in the detached palace. Moreover, he spent most of his day in his room, rarely even stepping into the hallway, and could only be interacted with through his attendants.

It was also said that he was well-versed in knowledge and that his half-brother, the king, often relied on him in politics, but he never appeared on the public stage.

It was also said that, at his own request, he always wore a white mask and that "Take off your mask" was a forbidden phrase.

(...What a troublesome person!)

She almost dropped the document, trembling, but managed to hold on.

It was unclear whether Elmine knew about these rumors, but this was certainly not someone she would want to marry.

However, despite his somewhat sullen and lazy expression, his features were well-defined, and he was well-versed in knowledge. He was also respected by his half-brother, and as a twenty-four-year-old prince in his prime, many would want to be his bride. The reason he remained single must be due to his significant flaws.

(Maybe King Ferrie thought that, for the sake of his respected brother, he should somehow find him a bride...)

As a princess of Sareille, she could not refuse marriage to any prince, no matter how eccentric, and the king might have thought it would work out. But for Elmine—actually Sara—it was very inconvenient, and the prince himself was probably not enthusiastic. The sullen look in the portrait might be because he had reluctantly agreed to the marriage after being pleaded with by his brother.

(Already at this point, the future looks difficult...)

She almost slumped but quickly straightened her back.

Even if it was a marriage against her will, both Sara and the prince had their own burdens to bear.

She could not act superior, even if it was by royal command, since she was deceiving him. Sara could not be found out as a replacement.

(If that's the case, no matter how eccentric he is, I have to get along—至少不要吵架！)

With determination, Sara stared at the portrait.

The Richard depicted in the portrait only returned her gaze with an expression that seemed to suggest the end of the world.

---

Time passed quickly, and one day, it was finally time to depart for Ferrie in five days.

"...What is that?"

Sara, who had been reading a history book about Ferrie, dropped the book in shock. The maid, who usually pointed out every detail, seemed equally flustered and was fidgeting, unable to pick up the book.

"Th-this is all I have to report..."

Sara couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it.

That 'Viscount Firman is going to marry his lover Sara'...

When it came to "Princess Elmine is calling," it seemed they couldn't refuse.

Sara thought they had their own reasons. Firman, of course, but the viscount and his wife didn't know about the switch, so they must have been pressured by their parents to get married, or Firman must have had some urgent reason to get married, or something significant must have happened.

...Until she saw the slightly awkward face of Firman and the gently smiling Elmine.

"...What exactly is going on?"

Sara asked, her voice trembling. Elmine, who was clinging to Firman's arm, smiled gently.

"Yes, I also thought I should tell Sara. ...Right, Lord Firman?"

"Y-yes, that's right..."

In stark contrast to Elmine's unusually cheerful demeanor, Firman, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, was quite nervous. He hadn't met her gaze once and didn't even try to free his arm from Elmine's embrace.

...It didn't bode well.

Swallowing the bitter, sticky saliva, Sara tried to calm herself and asked with a steel smile.

"Yes, I also wanted to hear the report. ...Firman, do you know about us?"

"O-of course. I received a letter from Princess Elmine."

"Right... So, why are you and Princess Elmine getting married?"

She tried to ask calmly and with a smile, but her expression was tense, and her words were sharp. Elmine, who had been in a good mood, looked worried and tilted her head.

"...What's wrong, Sara? You look very scary."

"...That's..."

"Hey, Sara, aren't you going to bless our marriage?"

"I-I'm not saying I won't. It's just... I'm so surprised."

She knew it was a poor excuse, but Elmine didn't seem to mind and smiled brightly again.

"Oh, that's good! You see, Sara, I've fallen in love with Lord Firman. Since I will be living as Sara from now on, there should be no problem if I marry Lord Firman, right? So... I know it's strange to say, but I will be Lord Firman's bride!"

(Elmine will be Firman's bride... in my place...)

--- Her body felt cold.

The shock was like a stake driven into her body, and the sensation of the world around her fading into silence was something she hadn't experienced since she heard the news of her parents' death.